Description

Allison Weir sets forth a concept of identity which depends on an acceptance of nonidentity, difference, and connection to others, defined as a capacity to participate in a social world. Weir argues that the equation of identity with repression and domination links "relational feminists" like Nancy Chodorow, who equate self-identity with the repression of connection to others, and poststructuralist feminists like Judith Butler, who view any identity as a repression of nonidentity or difference. Weir traces this conception of identity as domination back to Simone de Beauvoir's theories of the relation of self and other.

Reviews

"Weir's thesis is elegant and compelling. . .what is fascinating is that we can easily extend Weir's insights to many other theorists who are equally afflicted with the desire to cling on to a sacrificial logic." -- Mechthild Nagel, Mankato State University